Strauss Kahn Not Yet Off the Hook

Some of the most damning information that has been released in the past few days about the housekeeper’s story in the Strauss Kahn case, has revolved around what she allegedly did in the moments after the alleged assault took place. The New York Times has a brief piece today, which provides a level of depth that’s been absent from the media pastiche of leaks and short statements that have so far characterized her actions after the alleged attack. Among the notable points that back up the housekeeper’s story, is that she spoke to four employees that noted she was ‘in distress’ just minutes after the attack. She had no reason to believe that SK was even in his room, since another employee had already knocked and there had been no answer. And although several papers have claimed that the housekeeper continued cleaning the next room after her encounter with SK, according to the record of her key card use, the room she entered was the one she had just cleaned. That lends credence to the idea that she was either hiding from SK, or otherwise disturbed by the event. SK checked out of the hotel a mere two minutes after she entered that room.

The story is here, and worth reading for those like me, who are disturbed by the dynamic in which the housekeeper’s past is being turned into an excuse to reject her accusation of sexual assault.